Actions May Speak Louder...

But the impact of written word can last like a scar from a wound.

It sounds ridiculous, but I shudder every time I heard the word 'lackluster.' Back when I ran for student government, the Daily Bruin endorsed me for IVP but called the three candidates running for the position lackluster. Although the rest of the endorsement was pretty nice, that word will forever be ingrained in my mind. Ask other candidates from years past what the Daily Bruin wrote about them, and most of them will remember exact words, usually the negative ones. Nowadays, the Daily Bruin is generally nicer, which makes me happy. They've been able to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of candidates without using unnecessarily scathing language.

Instead of the words of the school newspaper, I feel like the new anxiety to candidates is from the wonderful world wide web. It's one thing to hear insults, it's another to log onto your computer and see anonymous attack ads on Facebook. As a general proponent of positive campaigning, the only thing worse than I could think of than attack ad is an anonymous one. If you have criticism, that's fair but own up to it so that 1) people can actually see if you're a legitimate source, and 2) so the people you're attacking can refute you if necessary. I really can't think of anything more cowardly than lobbing insults behind a veil of anonymity.

The thing with written insults, whether it be on a facebook ad, from a nasty made up screenname, or from an anonymous blog comment (the last two I endured awfully for weeks after I won), is that the words just glare at you. Also, anonymous insults are usually derogatory, racist, unfounded, and for no good reason. Yet you'll just read it over and over, which in my mind has a stronger effect than hearing it over and over in your head. Moreover, spoken word is typically limited to the person you're speaking to, whereas written word can be seen by many.

I guess that's why I have a general policy for my blogging that I won't vent about or try to insult others here, directly or indirectly. I've stumbled across too many things online about myself or my friends to know how much it hurt, and to know how inevitable it will be that the person you write about will somehow find it.

*sigh* First Amendment. I wish people would remember that just because there's freedom of speech, that shouldn't mean that you exercise your freedom to be stupid.